What’s so good about an Ibanez Tube Screamer?

Ibanez Tube Screamer

The Tube Screamer from Ibanez is perhaps the most famous overdrive guitar pedal of all time and is therefore adored by many guitarists.

Introducing the Tube Screamer

It has been more than 40 years since Ibanez released the TS808. Although Ibanez has become known for it, the Japanese Maxon was responsible for the design of the small green wonder pedal. Maxon at that time had no opportunity to export products abroad and concentrated mainly on the domestic market. For that reason, Maxon also made pedals for other brands. The circuit of the Maxon OD808 therefore had the same circuit as the TS808 sold by Ibanez from 1979. The circuits and specifications of these pedals are the same.

Tube Screamer was not an instant success

The Tube Screamers that came out at the time were certainly not an instant success. Both the 808 and its successor, the TS9 released by Ibanez in 1982, did not sell well. One of the first famous guitarists to use the Tube Screamer was Stevie Ray Vaughan. He mainly used the pedal as a clean boost, with the Drive knob almost completely closed and the volume knob fully open. The tone button was usually between 12:00 and 15:00, he wanted to vary with this. With the success of Stevie Ray, interest in the green pedal also increased exponentially.

tube screamer
Vintage TS808, vintage TS9, TS10, TS808 Reissue and a TS9 Reissue

Trademark mid hump boost

Nowadays, the pedal has become indispensable and astronomical amounts are paid for an original TS808. The magic of the pedal is in the tube-like distortion, good sustain and the classic ‘mid hump’ for which this pedal is known. The frequency response of the pedal is designed to emphasize the center frequencies in particular. This creates a kind of hump that helps the guitar sound cut through the mix.

The pedal’s circuit

In addition to this characteristic midrange, the circuit of a Tube Screamer has a number of other clever innovations (nerd alert). The circuit of a Tube Screamer consists of a number of parts: an input and an output buffer, a JFET bypass switch, a power section, tone/volume and a clipping section. These parts together provide the characteristic distorted sound. The core of the pedal consists of the part where the signal is overdriven (clipping amplifier) and the tone/volume part that comes next.

Clipping amplifier 

In the clipping amplifier, the incoming signal passes through an amplifier (operational amplifier or opamp). Part of the signal goes back to the input via a feedback loop from the output of the opamp. Two diodes are placed in this feedback loop, which ensure that a part of the signal is cut off. Because two diodes are used, there is symmetrical clipping. This means that both the top and the bottom of the signal are cut off. Cutting off the signal creates the overdrive of the pedal.

tube sceamer clipping circuit

JRC4558 opamp is the holy grail 

Virtually all TS808 came with a JRC4558 dual opamp. This version is still considered the holy grail by many guitarists. Original TS808s with JRC4558 chip are currently being sold for a lot of money (around 750 euros). The successor to the TS808, the TS9, was initially also delivered with the JRC4558. Later models were made with the JRC2043DD and the Toshiba TA7558 opamp. There is much debate online about the contribution of the opamp to the specific Tube Screamer sound. Josh Scott of JHS and Brian Wampler conclude that the chip does not audibly contribute to the difference in sound. Other experts like Mike Piera from Analogman do hear a difference between different op amps.

High and low pass filters in the feedback loop

The opamp’s feedback loop contains two filters, a high pass filter, which only passes frequencies above a certain value, and a low pass filter, which only passes frequencies below a certain value. The high pass filter ensures that especially the signal above 720 Hz is overdriven and all frequencies below are gradually reduced. The low pass filter ensures that the sharp highs are filtered out and the signal breaks off less abruptly (soft clipping).

Tone/Volume portion of the circuit

After this, the signal passes through the tone and volume portion of the circuit. Also here is a low pass filter in the circuit as well as an active tone circuit and a passive volume circuit. The low pass filter filters out overtones that are too loud before the signal passes through the tone circuit. The tone control then boosts the treble and restores some of the smoothing of the previous filter. Then the signal passes through the volume section and (depending on the setting of the volume knob) is boosted or attenuated in volume.

Tube Screamer
TS808DX, TS808HW, Anniversary TS808 Anniversary and Vemuram TSV808

Magic of the sound

Now that we know the technical side of the pedal, the question is how this all sounds. A Tube Screamer is a real overdrive and certainly no distortion. It gives a mild, smooth overdrive with a clearly audible boost from the midrange, keeping the character of your base signal intact. It sounds like hooking up your guitar to a good tube amp and letting it overdrive a little bit. Part of the magic of the sound is also in the way the clean sound is mixed with the distorted sound. This happens in the clipping circuit and not, as with some other overdrives, in the output section. And finally, the way of overdrive, in which only frequencies above 720 Hz are overdriven, is an important part of the magic.

Modern Tube Screamer alternatives

If you have been enchanted by green magic by now, you can of course purchase an original TS. In addition, many clones are made by renowned pedal makers. Below we have collected 10 alternative Tube Screamer pedals from 7 manufacturers that are definitely worth trying. The original circuit has been around for more than 40 years and can be improved on a number of points:

  • buffered bypass to true bypass 
  • improved gain or switchable gain options 
  • more control over EQ
  • upgraded components

JHS The Bonsai

Josh Scott is the founder of JHS Pedals and a huge Tube Screamer fan. The JHS The Bonsai is a study of nine of his favorite pedals and predecessors and related pedals, such as the Exar OD-1 and the Boss OD1. Good to know is that this pedal contains nine different circuits. So you actually purchase nine different Tube Screamers with this pedal. It is an extremely good starting point for guitarists who are not averse to a little tone tweaking.

JHS The Bonsai
JHS The Bonsai

Browne Amplification The Gritador

Browne Amplification The Gritador is an overdrive and based on a Tube Screamer. It has a number of tweaks which make it even better. Browne dialed in the midrange to be more nuanced. You still get that classic midrange bump but without some of the inherent nasaliness that can sometimes plague this circuit. The clipping is slightly less symmetrical and the low end is tweaked to give it more fullness while still maintaining a tight and punchy low end.

Browne Amplification The Gritador
Browne Amplification The Gritador

JHS Moonshine V2

JHS’s second pedal is the Moonshine V2. It is a modified TS that has more headroom because the 9 volts of the power supply is internally converted to 18 volts. Furthermore, the pedal has a switch that allows you to go from a classic overdrive to a more open sound. Furthermore, the pedal has more gain than the original and more bass.

JHS Moonshine V2
JHS Moonshine V2

Earthquaker Devices Palisades

Earthquaker Devices has arguably the most comprehensive clone on the market. The Earthquaker Device Palisades has 6 different clipping voices, 5 bandwidth settings and 2 different gain knobs. This makes it very difficult to find a suitable sound. The basis of the sound is the combination of the ‘Bandwidth’ rotary switch, which determines the basic character, and the Gain, Volume and Tone knobs. With the 6-step ‘Voice’ button you select the clipping diodes, with which you can change the gain structure. Furthermore, there is also a booster on this pedal with a separate foot switch.

EarthQuaker Devices Palisades
Earthquaker Devices Palisades

Earthquaker Devices Dunes V2

The Earthquaker Devices Dunes V2 is a stripped-down version of the Palisades. All the glitz and glamor has been stripped away and the most essential parts remained. It has become a nice mid-boosting overdrive with a great sound. The Dunes has three clipping options: MOSFET for a tight crisp sound, Silicon for an overdrive close to the classic 808 sound, and None which goes from clean boost to gritty, pure op-amp distortion.

Earthquaker Devices Dunes V2
Earthquaker Devices Dunes V2

Wampler Paisley

Country superstar Brad Paisley has his own signature pedal, the Wampler Paisley. The pedal is based on an 808 overdrive. The pedal has a little more ‘glass’ in the sound and it has a little more of the feel of a tube amp. In addition, the overdrive produces less compression, slightly more dynamics and more clarity than the original.

Wampler Paisley
Wampler Paisley

Wampler Clarksdale V2

The second pedal from the same maker is the Wampler Clarksdale V2. The Clarksdale is not an exact copy, but it is true to the sound and feel of the original. It has a wider range and multi-tone options. It has a 3-band EQ with which you can adjust the high, middle and low. The pedal also has a switch with which you can choose between Big or Smooth.

Wampler Clarksdale
Wampler Clarksdale

Seymour Duncan 805

Seymour Duncan 805 is a classic overdrive pedal that gives your signal a subtle boost, a fat crunch or a nice ripping solo sound. It has a 3-band active EQ with which you can further color the drive. Whether you’re looking for a little boost or a harmonically rich gain with a tube character, this 805 has it all. It’s a pedal suitable for any type of music – blues, country, rock, metal – and everything in between. The active EQ gives you many options to adjust the drive to your own taste.

Seymour Duncan 805 Overdrive
Seymour Duncan 805

Keeley Red Dirt

Robert Keeley’s pedal mods are legendary. The Keeley Red Dirt is Keeley’s version of a Screamer. It’s John Petrucci’s standard pedal, he even took two with him for his last tour. The Red Dirt consists of the best components, true bypass and it has both high and low gain settings.

Keeley Red Dirt
Keeley Red Dirt

Walrus Audio Warhorn

The Warhorn from Walrus Audio is a true bypass pedal with the classic midrange of a TS. In addition, there are both bass and treble knobs. The pedal has more gain than an original TS and a switch that lets you choose between a traditional sound with light compression or a more open sound. The pedal provides punchy rhythm sounds as well as Texas Blues lead sounds.

Walrus Audio Warhorn

Maxon OD-9

The last pedal in this series is Maxon’s, the Maxon OD- 9. Strictly speaking, this is not a clone at all but the original. Maxon was responsible for the original TS-9 Tubescreamer circuit. This pedal has the exact specifications of a Tubescreamer and is also very affordable. The only difference from the original pedal is the True Bypass of this pedal. It is a simple pedal with three knobs: Volume, Drive and Tone.

Maxon OD-9 Overdrive
Maxon OD-9

This article was made possible thanks to information from www.electrosmash.com, www.analogman.com, wikipedia and stinkfoot.se.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.